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With the start of the school year and the approach of fall and winter, Ohio health officials have issued both a warning and some encouragement. COVID-19 and its variants are not gone, and they are accompanied by flu and respiratory syncytial virus in what could be a deadly triple threat.
"COVID, it isn't gone, and we really do need to prepare ourselves for the upcoming fall and winter respiratory season," Ohio Department of Health director Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff said last week. "Which will undoubtedly include COVID, influenza and RSV."
It's a frightening prospect, but there is something we can do about all three.
An updated COVID booster vaccine expected to be available in late September or early October will target a strain of the virus closely related to the emerging EG.5 strain. Annual flu shots are already routine for many Americans. And now there is an RSV vaccine expected to be available as soon as October, for infants younger than eight months. A vaccine is already available for eligible older adults.
In addition to frequent hand-washing or sanitizing, testing and keeping distance --or just plain staying home, if you are ill -- check whether some or all of these vaccines should be part of your plan to keep you and your family healthier this winter. The start of a new school year is always full of bright promise. Make plans to take precautions that could help keep the rest of the year brighter, too.